URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 Delivers Ultra HD Coverage for Defqon.1 Dance Festival

All video requirements at the festival was handled by outsourced production partner NEP, with hardware supplied by Maartens Sound & Vision. Alain Dikken, solutions consultant at NEP explains a major challenge was designing a live infrastructure that could deliver content from stages that were up to 1.5km away from each other. “Optical fiber was the clear choice for reliable signal delivery over such a long distance, particularly when working in Ultra HD,” he begins.

“Camera signals from the main stages, tally and intercom all fed into a central OB truck (UHD2). Not only did that keep cable run length as manageable as possible, it meant that all of the stages’ directors could be housed together and allowed them to produce uninterrupted coverage of the three day festival.”

A separate, purpose built, portable production unit (Flypack 2) was deployed alongside UHD2 to record camera ISOs and program out Ultra HD content that could be streamed live, as well as used to create highlight packages and promos. 

A separate, purpose built, portable production unit (Flypack 2) was deployed alongside UHD2 to record camera ISOs and program out Ultra HD content that could be streamed live, as well as used to create highlight packages and promos. 

“Live dance music events are a unique genre, and require an innovative approach to content production; there’s never a dull moment, with lasers, light shows and atmospheric backdrops to cover,” explains Alain. “At times we wanted to be able to film at 24 or 25fps to achieve a more cinematic feel for certain aspects of a set, and then be able to switch back to a more standard live production format. 

“The URSA Mini Pro G2 gave us the creative latitude that we needed, and this was complemented by the ATEM’s flexibility when handling mixed frame rates.”

Alain explains that an Ultra HD mix from the ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K was taken directly out to big screens at each of the stages and to a streaming provider for Defqon.1’s social channels. An additional PGM feed was downconverted via a Teranex AV and supplied to broadcasters via an OB studio onsite. 

Alain explains that an Ultra HD mix from the ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K was taken directly out to big screens at each of the stages and to a streaming provider for Defqon.1’s social channels. An additional PGM feed was downconverted via a Teranex AV and supplied to broadcasters via an OB studio onsite.